Pamela Dunlap stars as Rochelle, a middle aged Jewish woman struggling with a crisis of faith. When Tina (Tamlyn Tomita)
convinces her to join a flamenco class for “seasoned” out of shape
women, Rochelle’s life is changed forever. There, she meets Daloris (Juanita Jennings) and an unforgettable circle of women (Andrea Dantas, Mindy Krasner, Elissa Kyriacou, Sherrie Lewandowski and Norma Maldonado) who propel Rochelle on a hilarious and deeply moving course of unexpected self-discovery.

“Heart Song is funny but also allows me to explore serious
issues about faith, spirituality and mortality that are deeply personal
to me,” says Sachs. “The play dramatizes how art, in the form of
flamenco — like religion or spiritual faith — has the power to heal and
transform.”

“Flamenco is a life-saver for these women,” explains Finney. “It’s about duende, finding the deeper soul, unearthing that deep inner voice that lives inside us and can heal our inner wounds.”

The Fountain Theatre, recipient of critical acclaim and multiple
awards for its theater productions, is also L.A.’s foremost presenter of
flamenco. The Fountain’s monthly “Forever Flamenco!” series was created
by co-artistic director Deborah Lawlor, who acts as consultant on this production.

“This is the perfect opportunity to marry the Fountain’s two audiences,” says Lawlor. “With Heart Song,
we celebrate both our dedication to creating and producing new plays,
as well as our longtime passion and commitment to the art of flamenco.”

Set design for Heart Song is by Tom Buderwitz; lighting design is by Ken Booth; sound design is by Bruno Louchouarn; costume design is by Dana Woods; prop design is by Misty Carlisle; casting is by Cathy Reinking; production stage manager is Corey Womack; and assistant stage managers are Mitzi Delgado and Terri Roberts. The Fountain Theatre production marks Heart Song's world premiere. A second production will take place at Florida Rep in 2014.

Stephen Sachs’ other plays include Cyrano (2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award), Bakersfield Mist (2012 Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play, optioned for London’s West End and New York), Miss Julie: Freedom Summer (Fountain Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Canadian Stage Company, LADCC and LA Weekly Award nominations), Gilgamesh (Theatre @ Boston Court), Central Avenue (PEN USA Literary Award finalist; Back Stage Garland award for Best Play), Mother's Day, The Golden Gate (Best Play, Drama-Logue), and The Baron in the Trees. His play Sweet Nothing in my Ear (1997
PEN USA Literary Award finalist and Media Access Award winner for
Theater Excellence) has been produced in theaters around the country and
was made into a TV movie for CBS starring Academy Award winner Marlee
Matlin and Jeff Daniels. Open Window (2005 Media Access Award winner for Theater Excellence) had its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Shirley Jo Finney received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award award for her direction of In the Red and Brown Water at the Fountain, where she also directed award-winning productions of From the Mississippi Delta, Central Avenue, Yellowman and The Ballad of Emmett Till.
Her work has been seen at the McCarter Theater, Pasadena Playhouse,
Goodman Theater, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, LA
Theater Works, Crossroads Theater Company, Actors Theater of Louisville
Humana Festival, Mark Taper Forum, American College Theatre Festival,
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the State Theater in
Pretoria, South Africa, where she helmed the South African opera, Winnie,
based on the life of political icon Winnie Mandela. Ms. Finney has been
honored with Ovation, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Back Stage Garland, LA Weekly and NAACP awards. For television, she directed several episodes of Moesha, and she garnered the International Black Filmmakers ‘Best Director’ Award for her short film, Remember Me.
In 2007 she received the African American Film Marketplace Award of
Achievement for Outstanding Performance and Achievement and leader in
Entertainment.

Pamela Dunlap (Rochelle) has performed at Lincoln Center, New York
Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film and Circle Repertory Company.
On Broadway: Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Redwood Curtain, Yerma. Off Broadway: Early Girl, Sacrifice to Eros, Green Card.
L.A. theatergoers have seen her at the Mark Taper, Ahmanson, South
Coast Rep and L.A. Theatre Works. Regional theater includes Theatre
Raleigh, Pioneer Theatre, St. Louis Repertory, Hartford Stage, Arena
Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre and Corpus Christi Symphony. She is the
recipient of an OOBR Award, an honoree of the New York Drama League,
and a three-time Drama-Logue Award recipient. Mad Men fans will
recognize her as Pauline Francis, Betty Draper’s new mother-in-law with
the questionable babysitting skills. TV guest appearances include How I Met Your Mother, N.C.I.S., Law and Order SVU, and recurring as Gilda Rockwell on Commander In Chief. Pamela recently completed filming on Doll and Em for British TV, written, produced and starring Emily Mortimer. Film: The Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood; I Am Sam; War Of The Roses; The Holiday; Sixteen To Life; and Mind The Gap.

Juanita Jennings (Daloris) is known to Fountain audiences for her portrayal of Aunt Ester in August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean and for her versatility in From the Mississippi Delta. She recently co-starred in South Coast Repertory's production of Fences, and has also appeared at SCR in Jar the Floor (NAACP Theatre Award for Best Actress) and Twelfth Night. Other theater credits include productions at New York Shakespeare Festival, the Negro Ensemble Company, Mark Taper Forum, The Old Globe and Westwood Playhouse. Her many TV roles include Edna on the Tyler Perry series Meet the Browns and Dorothy Bascomb on The Bold and the Beautiful. She is a Cable Ace winner for her portrayal in the HBO mini-series Laurel Avenue.

Tamlyn Tomita (Tina) starred in the Fountain’s very first production, Winter Crane (Drama-Logue Award). Other stage work include The Square and Don Juan: A Meditation (Taper, Too), Summer Moon (Seattle's A Contemporary Theatre and South Coast Repertory), Day Standing on its Head (Manhattan Theatre Club) and Nagasaki Dust (Philadelphia Theatre Company). She is best known for the films The Day After Tomorrow,The Joy Luck Club and Karate Kid 2. Other film credits include Picture Bride, Come See the Paradise, Four Rooms, Living Out Loud and Gaijin 2. Soap opera followers know her as Dr. Ellen Yu on Days of Our Lives and Glee fans have seen her as Julia Chang.

Considered to be one of the foremost international flamenco artists in
the world today, choreographer Maria Bermudez resides in Jerez de la
Frontera, Spain, the “cradle” of flamenco. There, she has worked with
renowned artists, such as Familia Agujetas, Nano de Jerez, Capullo,
Rancapino, Pansequito, Niño Jero, Tomasito and many others. Her training
has been with some of the most important masters in Spain, including
Angelita Vargas, Ciro, La Tati, El Güito and Farruco, each of whom has
inspired her style. Maria’s outstanding and critically acclaimed
performances include the Hollywood Bowl, Ford Amphitheatre, Fountain
Theater, Music Center and the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Los
Angeles; Central Park and The Joyce Theater in New York City; the Teatro
Palácio das Artes in Brazil; Peña Cernicalos, Los Gallos and Teatro
Lope de Vega in Spain; guest appearances with the Santa Cecilia
California; and numerous venues throughout the world. Most recently she
formed Chicana Gypsy Project which draws on her Mexican-American
heritage and her immersion into Adulucian Gypsy culture. Her life and
career have inspired the award-winning documentary film, Streets of Flamenco.

Housed in a charming two-story complex, the Fountain is one of the
most successful intimate theaters in Los Angeles, providing a creative
home for multi-ethnic theater and dance artists. The Fountain has won
over 200 awards, and Fountain projects have been seen across the U.S.
and internationally. Highlights include In the Red and Brown Water (“Best in Theater 2012” – Los Angeles Times); Cyrano, an
adaptation of the Rostand classic for hearing and deaf actors by
Stephen Sachs (LADCC Award, “Outstanding Production”), a six-month run
of Bakersfield Mist, also by Sachs, optioned for London and New
York; the Off-Broadway run of the Fountain’s world premiere production
of Athol Fugard’s Exits and Entrances; and the making of Sachs’ Sweet Nothing in My Ear
into a TV movie. The Fountain has been honored with a Certificate of
Appreciation from the Los Angeles City Council for “enhancing the
cultural life of Los Angeles.” The Fountain was recently honored with
seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle including the Polly Warfield
Award for Best Season 2012.

Heart Song opens on Saturday, May 25, with performances Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 pm and Sundays @ 2 pm through July 14. Preview performances take place May 18-24 on the same schedule. Tickets are $34 (reserved seating), except previews which are $15. On Thursdays and Fridays only, seniors over 65 and students with ID are $25. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. Secure, on-site parking is available for $5. The Fountain Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call 323-663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.